Acclaimed farm-to-table restaurant sold to new owners. What to know
Barn8, along with the hospitality operations at Hermitage Farm, has been sold to Cara Osborne, founder of the bourbon brand Blaize & Brooks, and her husband, Steve Brooks, as well as a group of investors.
Louisville entrepreneur Steve Wilson announced the sale this week. In a news release, Wilson said the deal applies only to the hospitality operations and that he and his wife, Laura Lee Brown, will retain ownership of Hermitage Farm.
“Laura Lee and I are proud of Barn8 and its reputation as an outstanding dining experience in the unique atmosphere of a real horse barn,” Wilson said in the release. “We believe that Cara and Steve will enhance our efforts as well as enrich the Hermitage Farm experience with their own ideas. They will be making additional announcements in the near future.”
Located about 30 minutes from Louisville, Barn8 is an upscale farm-to-table restaurant in Oldham County known for its seasonal menu. In 2024, Courier Journal food writer Amanda Hancock recommended trying its cast-iron cornbread, house-made pasta and banana date cake. Barn8 also features a bourbon room, with a drink menu spanning several pages.
Barn8 on Hermitage Farm in Goshen, Kentucky. December 20, 2023
USA Today named Barn8 one of its restaurants of the year in 2024. The restaurant sits on Hermitage Farm, a roughly 700-acre property that Wilson and Brown — co-founders of 21c Museum Hotels — purchased in 2010 from Carl Pollard with the intention of preserving the farmland.
